Add a Historic Twist to Your Holidays (Part 2)

Today, we offer a few more ideas of places to enjoy the holiday spirit. As towns and historic sites light up for the holidays, now is a great time to visit. Earlier this week, we offered our first suggestions. Here are a few more places to learn about holiday customs from a past era, see holiday lights and luminarias and enjoy festivals.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Savannah, Georgia, Christmas 1886 with the Gordons, thru Dec. 29, 2009: Explore holiday customs during the Victorian era at the home of the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. The home is beautifully decorated for the holidays, the table is set for Christmas dinner, the stockings are ready in Mama’s bedroom and the vintage “Game of Merry Christmas” is out.

Natchitoches, Louisiana, Christmas Festival of Lights, thru Jan. 6, 2010: Visitors to Louisiana’s Natchitoches can enjoy the Festival of Lights beginning on Nov. 21. Events throughout the season include the 83rd annual Christmas Festival on Saturday, Dec. 5, with entertainment, arts, crafts, food vendors, parade, fireworks, laser show and the lighting of more than 300,000 Christmas bulbs.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, Holiday Nights, Dec. 16-25, 2009: Santa Fe simply glows during the holiday season. Every curb, roadway or rooftop is lined with small fires — little rivers of light. Luminarias and farolitos create a picturesque, warm glow on cold wintry Southwest nights.

Middleton Place, Charleston, South Carolina, Middleton Place Grand Illumination, Dec. 18, 2009: See historic Middleton Place by torchlight, candlelight and moonlight. This special Christmas celebration introduces the holiday traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries. Stroll garden paths illuminated by torches and hear costumed interpreters describe Christmas during the Revolutionary War and Civil War eras. In the Middleton Place house, learn Christmas traditions celebrated by the family. End the evening around a warm fire and enjoy seasonal refreshments.

Isaiah Davenport House Museum, Savannah, Georgia, Holiday Evening Tours by Candlelight, Dec. 26-30, 2009, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: Glistening in the candlelight, the Federal-style Isaiah Davenport House Museum welcomes visitors to an experience emphasizing the end-of-year celebrations of early 19th-century Savannahians, including the Davenports, who lived in the fine brick home on Columbia Square. Tours start Dec. 26 and continue through Dec. 30.

Photos from top to bottom: Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Savannah, Georgia; Santa Fe, New Mexico